Encomium
FIFTY, the highly anticipated movie magical production from EbonyLife Films, set for its Grand Premiere on December 13th 2015, and scheduled to hit cinemas nationwide on December 18th 2015, global media and film industry aficionados have continued to speak with one voice on the film, which was the only selection from Nigeria, and one of only five films from the entire continent of Africa from 238 films selected globally for screening at the 2015 BFI London Film Festival.
Media big wigs and top film industry connoisseurs who were at the international screening of the absorbing and intriguing movie which held at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival on Saturday 17th October, 2015, as well as the private media screening in Lagos on Friday October 23rd, 2015, could not hold back their views. Here are some of their comments:
“Thank you so much for inviting me to the FIFTY premiere. I really enjoyed it and it was great to watch it with such an enthusiastic audience. It was funny, full of melodrama and disarmingly touching and courageous at the same time a side of Lagos you don’t often get to see and a really original film. I loved the cast and characters and it was so refreshing to see a film that gave a voice to the ‘fifty-something’ women of Nigeria. I’m sure it will be a massive hit.”
– Charlotte Moore, BBC 1’s Controller
“Cinema 2 at the Ritzy in Brixton was sold out and the audience loved it. It’s celebratory of Lagos, strong women and African success. It’s not high art, it’s popular entertainment that shows people and places in one of the fastest growing economies in a refreshing new light.”
– Jane Mote, VP Content and Creative at Turner Broadcasting
“FIFTY has brought the pride back in me, the pride of being a Nigerian! And that’s saying it the way it is!”
-Tunde Fagbenle, Punch Newspaper
“Thanks again for the invitation to see FIFTY. It was an amazing film – the music, costumes, story, the elegance with which the plot was delivered. I loved it.”
-Ojoma Ochai, Director, British Council
“I attended the Leicester square premier which I thoroughly enjoyed. These occasions for Africans in the mainstream are rare. I found the film entertaining and feel that it will be an unquestionable box office hit amongst its audience.”
Nadia Denton, Film Industry Specialist, Publicist and Author of The Nigerian Filmmaker’s Guide to Success
“Nigerians can look forward to a big treat when FIFTY, a new film by EbonyLife Films hits the cinemas nationwide from December 18, 2015. We were all highly impressed and full of praises after the media screening yesterday evening in Lagos. Kudos to my sister Mo Abudu and the entire cast and crew of FIFTY.”
-Tunde Kelani, Film Maker
“Fifty is no doubt, a sequence of star turns by four enchanting divas evoking dramatic fireworks from every discerning movie buff.”
– The Capital (www.thecapitalng.com)
“The director, Biyi Bandele; the executive producer, Mo Abudu; and The Four Titans: Ireti Doyle, Omoni Oboli, Dakore Egbuson-Akande and Nse Ikpe Etim must be applauded for their valiant efforts in bringing a whole new level of cinematic excellence to Nollywood. It may not be Titanic or Lord of the Rings, but I didn’t see a single native doctor, and nobody ran mad. The BFI chose well.”
– VIVA NAIJA (www.viva-naija.com)
“The buildup of the movie is beautiful … a great source of entertainment with its brilliant cast and plot twists … the costume choices fit the style of the movie and were carefully selected to portray the image of the actors …the writer was very inventive with the plot and kept us glued to the screen … It was everything but boring and the characters were credible with their words and acting … Having seen this movie already, would I still go back to watch it again? Hell, Yes! I would, you should too.”
– Crystal Clear Words (www.crystalclearwords.com)
Directed by Biyi Bandele, FIFTY, captures a few pivotal days in the lives of four Nigeria women at the pinnacle of their careers in the resurgent, ever-bustling, 24-hour megacity of Lagos, the commercial capital of Africa’s biggest and most vibrant economy. Tola, Elizabeth, Maria and Kate – four friends entrapped in the intense and pulsating story of love and lust; power and rivalry; life and loss.
Tola is a reality TV star whose marriage to lawyer Kunle never stood a chance thanks to an unpleasant family secret. Elizabeth is a celebrated obstetrician whose penchant for younger men has estranged her from her daughter. Forty-nine year-old Maria has an affair with a married man that results in an unexpected pregnancy and Kate’s battle with a life-threatening illness has plunged her into religious obsession. Four lead characters who must muster courage, put on their six-inch heels, work hard and party too, as they battle to tackle life’s curveballs head-on.
ABOUT EBONYLIFE FILMS
EbonyLife Films is a sister company of EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first Global Black entertainment and lifestyle network. EbonyLife Films sees a promising new Africa, and is strongly committed to telling African stories as they have never been told before. Powerfully rooted in Africa but connecting to a global audience through a shared identity and common values, EbonyLife Films is set to usher in a cinematographic movement that revolutionizes the trends in the African entertainment industry as it fixes its gaze on becoming one of the world’s s most influential film powerhouses one blockbuster at a time. FIFTY is its first feature film.
